Pilots: Big Mac pilot

Flying to his franchises

December 1, 2013

Geri Silva

“Every single time I leave the ground, I’m looking forward to the next time,” says Reginald “Reggie” Webb, owner of a Lancair IV-P. Webb owns and operates 14 McDonald’s franchises in Southern California, and his business interests takes him all across the country. “When I have to travel,” he says, “my first choice is to fly my own airplane. Last year alone, I logged about 200 hours.”

Webb started flying in 1989 after a friend gave him a ride in a Cessna 182. He was hooked. “I just wanted to take on the challenge of flying,” he said. Webb earned his certificates, and eventually one of the pilots in the Cessna 182—which was owned by two partners—left the partnership, so Webb bought into it. Later, he moved on to a Piper Comanche 260.

But Webb wanted more speed, efficiency, and beauty in the airplane he owned. So he purchased a partially built Lancair in 2005 and completed it with the help of Lancair builder Roger Huffman. “I learned so much in the building process, and really, it’s wonderful being the manufacturer,” says Webb. “I also built the airplane to fit me. For example, the side stick is exactly the right height.” Webb completed the Lancair in 2007, and the airplane was everything he hoped it would be. Cruising at about 230 knots, it has a 1,000-mile range, perfect for flights to the Midwest and the East Coast.

Webb; wife, Rene; and grown children Karim, Kiana, and Kyle go on flying vacations. “My family flies with me, although not all at once—the Lancair only has four seats—mostly on short trips such as Las Vegas and Sedona,” he says. So far, his children have not taken up flying, but Kiana and Kyle would like to when time permits. Kiana is president of the family business, Karim has two Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants, and Kyle is in the McDonald’s training program.

Webb plans to fly his Lancair to South America early in 2014, a trip he has been planning for many years. Even after 24 years of flying, Webb remains passionate about aviation. “I’ve never been in the air and had a problem I thought about,” he says. “There’s just so much to do in the cockpit, and it’s just so awe-inspiring. Sometimes, I think it’s unbelievable it’s me up there. But I’m glad it is.”

Mark Scheuer was tired of yelling at his wife across the noisy cockpit of their Grumman Yankee, and he thought there had to be a better way of communicating. PS Engineering Inc. was born out of that necessity and is now celebrating its third decade of forging new ground in cockpit communication technology.

A tale of flying adventure, severe injuries, international political maneuvering, and an emergency at sea comes to life in "Floatplane Odyssey," a book that commemorates the twenty-fifth anniversary of Tom Casey’s 1990 around-the-world flight in a Cessna 206 on floats.